Railway-signal



RAILWAYv SIGNAL. v

No. 530,798. Patented'nec. 11,'-1'894l Arrow/frs.

(N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. v. RICHARDSON. RAILWAY SIGNAL.V

.Paizented D ec'. 11, 1894.

y 4 l Figui' //Z y QB/gw@ lll,

UNITED STATES P11-WENT OFFICE,

JAMES V. RICHARDSON, OF FARMVILLE, VIRGINIA.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 530,798, dated December 11, 1894. I

Application led March 30, 1894. Serial No. 505,704.. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES V.R1CHARDS0N, of Farmville, in the county of Prince Edward and State of Virginia, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Signal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. Y

My invention-relates to improvements in railway signals and particularly to that class of signals which are automatically operated and which vare arranged in blocks along a line of railway.

The object of my invention is to produce a very simple block signal system vof this kind, in which the signaling apparatus is carried by the engines on the line, and which is arranged in such a way that two engines can# not run upon adjacent blocks, either toward each other or in the opposite direction, without operating the signals in both engines, and thus both engineersjare apprised of the prox-` imity of' the two trains and danger is thus averted.

A further object of my inventionis to arrange the signals and connections in such a way that if a switch is left open, the engineer of an approaching train will be apprised of the fact and will govern himself accordingly.

To these ends myv invention consists of an electric railway signal, the construction, arrangement and connections of which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1y is a diagrammatic' plan, showing- '.by a spring 24, out 'of engagement with the the various connections of my improved system, both on the main line and switch. Fig. 2 is a detail diagram, showing themanner in which the connections are crossed soas to work the signals on engines traveling in the same direction.

` tional view, also diagrammatic, showing the connections between the signal of a locomotive and the .conductors along the'line. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan of the circuit breakving armature, showing thecross connections Fig. 3 is an enlarged sec-l but showing the connections used onlyon a single track and adapted to connect the positive and negative conductors of one block to the corresponding conductors of the next.

In carrying out my invention parallel conductors 10, 11 and 12 are used, these being preferably arranged between the track rails 13but they may be either overhead or on the ground, and they are arranged in blocks separated, as shown at 14. A, convenient way of arranging these conductorsis illustrated in Fig. 3, where they are in the form of T-rails and the conductors 10 and 12 arevadapted to contact with brushes 15, or .equivalent contact devices, and vthey connect by wires 16 and 17, withy a battery 18 on the locomotive 19, the 'circuit including an ordinary electric bell 18a ory other audible electrically operated signal. 1

The bells may be simply gongs and hammers with magnets for operating the hammers, as the circuit breaker hereinafter described makes the necessary makes and breaks in thecircuit.

The adjacent ends of the conductors 10 and 12 are connected with the contact points 2O of fa circuitbreaker 21, which may be of any approved construction but which may be made to `advantage as 'illustrated in Fig. 1. The contacts 20 are pressed forward by springs 22 and they and the adjacent mechanism are inclosed in asuitable case 20a. An armature 23 has conductors insulated thereon adapted to vmake contact with. the points 20 so as to vconnect the conductors 10 and 12, of adjacent blocks, as shown in Figs. 2,4and 5, described below, this armature being pressed normally,

magnets 25 which form a part ot the circuit breaker, these magnets being connected, as

illustrated in Fig. 1, with the conductorsllv of one block and with the vground by 'a wire 26. o Consequently when a current is passed through the magnets they attract the arma" jture 23 which, striking the contact points 20, closes the circuit with `a block ahead.

The engine has a brush 28 vto connect with the conductor 11 of the block, and this connects by a wire 29 with a battery 30,'which also connects, by means of a wire 31, with one of the engine wheels, and consequently with Ioo the ground, so that it will be seen that as soon as an engine strikes a block, the circuit will be closed through the conductor 11 and the circuit breaker 21 so as to draw down the armature 23, and the circuit will thus be closed in the manner already described,through the conductors 10 and l2 of the next section of the block, but no current will flow until an engine happens to be on the next block ahead,- in which case the'current flows from one pole to the opposite pole in the manner described above. t

To provide for signaling between two'engines going in the same direction,`the arrangement of circuits illustrated in Fig. 2, is used. This arrangement provides for connecting the conductor 10 of one block to the conductor 12 of the block ahead, and to do this the armature 23 has cross wires insulated thereon, as shown at 32, in Figs. 2 and 4, which, when the armature is depressed, make contact with the points 20, but any other suitable maker and breaker of the circuit may be used. It follows that if two engines are on adjacent blocks going in the same direction, each will have its brushes 15 connected with the conductors 10 and 12, as described, but the cross connection 32 connects the positive pole of one battery on one engine to the negative pole of the battery on the other engine and thus the current fiows from one to the other and the bells 18n ring. The battery 30 and the connections therewith are used merely to f operate the circuit breaker. i

The armature 23 of the circuit breaker, besides having the cross connections 32 described above and adapted to connect the conductor 10 of one block to the conductor 12 of another, has parallel connections 32 which are used only on `a single track however, to provide for signaling between engines running in opposite'directions, these connections being arranged below the connections 32 and adapted to connect the conductors 10 and 12 on one block with the corresponding conductors of the next. The connections with the magnets 25 are preferably like the ordinary connections with an electric bell, so that when a current is sent through them it is interzn`ittent and causes the armature 23 to vibrate up and down. lVhen the parallel connections are used in connection with the others, it provides for signaling between two trains moving in opposite directions on the same track, as when thus used the positive brush 15 of one engine connects with the conductor 10, while the positive brush of the other one connects with the conductor 12 of the other block and the negative brushes of the engines connect with the other conductors 10 and 12, and thus when they reach adjacent blocks the circuit breaker is set in operation, as specied, and the current passes intermittently through the conductors from the bat tery of one engine to that of the other, thus ringing the bells.

The connections with a switch are illusmieu at the `right-11ans in Fig. 1. Thesising is provided with conductors 10, l1a and 12'd corresponding to the conductors 10, 1l and 12, and arranged in blocks in a similar way and the sections of the siding near the switch are connected to the conductors of the main line, as Fig. 1 clearly shows, and there is a break in the siding sections near this point, as shown at 34. The sections 10' and 12 adjacent to the junction of the siding and main line are connected by wires 35 and 36 with the contacts 37 and 38 of a switch block 38, which is arranged adjacent to a' moving switch 39 carried by the switch bar 40 which operates the railway switch and is connected with an ordinary switch stand 41.

The switch 39 is moved when the railway switch is open, so as to connect the wires 35 and 36 with wires 42 and 43 leading to the second block or section of the conductors 10 and 12', as shown clearly in Fig. 1, and the wires 42 and 43 are also connected with a support 43 in which they are insulated and they are adapted to make contact with an armature 44 which is operated by magnets 45 and is normally pressed, by a spring 46, into contact with the wires 42 and 43. The magnets 45 connect bya wire 47 with the section 1la of the siding conductors and by a wire 48 with the ground.

It will be seen that if the rail switch is closed, as in Fig. 1, the switch 39 is operated so as to cut out the conductors of the siding, but if the rail switch is open, the conductors 10a and 12a are cut in the circuit passing to them through the wires 35, 36, the switch 39 and the wires 42 and 43. If then a locomotive is standing on the siding the signal in it and in a locomotive which may be approaching on the main line, will be rung in the manner already described, and the battery on the siding locomotive will send a current through the conductor 11, the `wire 47, the magnets 45 and the wire 48 to the ground so as to pull the armature 44 out of contact with the wires 42 and 43; but if the switch has been left open and no locomotive happens to be standing on the siding, the armature springs into contact with the wires 42 and 43 and the circuit is closed through this armature and the conductors 10 and 12, so that the signal on the engine which is approaching on the main line, is rung, the circuit being from the battery 18 through the wire 16, one of the brushes l5, the conductor 10, a circuit breaker 21, the first conductor 10 of the siding, the wire 35, the switch 39, the wire 42, the armature 44, the wire 43, the switch 39, the wire 36, a circuit breaker 21, the conductor 12, the second brush 15, the wire 17 and bell 18, back to the battery.

It will be seen that it is impossible for an engine to run upon an open switch or for two trains to collide,`as the signals are sure to be sounded and the trains can then be stopped.

As the several blocks of conductors on the main line are connected by circuit breakers,

as specified, and as the moving of the `switch 14 opens and closes the 1circuit between the siding kand main conductors, as' above described,'it will be seen that the signaling between the siding and a' locomotive on `the main line will take place when the switch is open without regard to the direction in which the said locomotive is moving.

- Having thus .described my invention, I claim as new and desire Patentl. The combination, winhrhe parallel une conductors arranged in blocks, as specified,

contact devices carried by a locomotive'to enthe negative conductor of the next, and coll-v to secure by Letters nections to connectth'e positive and negative conductc'nfs; of one block to the similar coning the connections between the line and the siding conductors by the operation of a rail.-

"Way switch, a magnet-operatedA armature adapted to short circuit the siding conductors, a second conductor on the siding, connections between this conductor, the magnets and the ground, and means for supplying current to the'second conductor from 'a locomotive onthe siding, substantially as described.

JAMES V. RICHARDSON.

Witnesses:

JNO. W'. BEAL', E. B. LEE. 

